A slurry comprises a fluid and solids, such as particulates, entrained the fluid. Slurries often are a byproduct of manufacturing, construction or excavation, and the solids in the slurry can be separated from the fluid so that both the solids and the fluid can be processed separately. In some instances, the fluid and the solids entrained therein both are waste products of a primary manufacturing, construction or excavation project. Separation of the solids from the fluid in the slurry enables the components of the slurry to be processed and/or disposed of in environmentally appropriate manners. In other situations, the slurry is created to transport economically valuable solids from one point to another. In this regard, slurries can provide a cost-effective method of transportation in the mining industry. More particularly, slurries often are created in the mining industry to transport a mixture of water and ore to a location where the ore can be separated and processed.
Any piping system theoretically can be used to transport a slurry. For example, clay pipes, cement pipes and steel pipes often are used for slurry transport. However, the solids in the slurry cause considerable abrasion and can lead to failure of the pipe due to abrasion. A failure of a pipe that carries a slurry can result in very significant economic and environmental costs. The structural integrity of a pipe can be monitored so that repairs or replacements can be completed well before a pipe failure. However, the repair or replacement of an abraded pipe requires the slurry transport to be terminated while the repair or replacement is being carried out. The down time for completing the repair or replacement imposes a significant cost penalty. Conversely, an ability to extend the time between repairs could result in a very significant cost advantage.
The additional pipe abrasion caused by transporting a slurry has other negative implications. For example, the pipe material that is removed by abrasion can contaminate the materials that are being conveyed, and hence can complicate efforts to recover the conveyed solids or to process the conveying liquid. Additionally, the abraded surface of a pipe is not smooth and causes pressure losses. This reduced hydraulic performance caused by an abraded inner surface of a pipe results in increased energy costs for transporting the slurry.
In view of the above, an object of the subject invention is to provide a pipe for transporting a slurry, such as a slurry of a liquid and solids produced in the mining industry.